GOVERNMENT Bigger A-Power Program Ahead? Congressional atomic leader urges 10-year demonstration reactor program, calls for new AEC policy J. H E U .
S. ATOMIC POWER
PROGRAM
is "not adequate" if we are to attain our goal of world leadership in reactor technology. There is considerable confusion as to what our objectives and policies are. and should be. These are some of the criticisms leveled at our atomic power program by Rep. Carl T. Durham (D.-N. C ) . chairman of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, in a letter to AEC chairman Lewis L. Strauss. W h a t we need, says Rep. Durham, is a ''reappraisal of our policies and more precise definition of the policy objectives in the atomic power development program, both from a domestic and international standpoint." According to Rep. Durham, we should: • Define policy objectives. • Formulate a realistic and wellbalanced program t o carry out these policies adequately. • Ten-Year Push. Ever since Congress adjourned, says Rep. Durham, members of the joint committee have been in close touch with the atomic power development program. They have visited overseas with European reactor experts and have had individual visits from members of the domestic atomic power industry and government officials. Last month, the committee held closed-door sessions with leading A E C laboratory officials and industrial executives to discuss the atomic power program. These discussions and observations all point to one thing, says Rep. Durham—"the overriding need for a reappraisal of our policies." Perhaps the best approach, says Rep. Durham, is to develop a vigorous new demonstration power reactor program. This program should run for at least a 10-year period, and "might begin to take over where the present five-year experimental program leaves off." Big advantage of the program, says Rep. Durham, is to give long term assurance 36
C&EN
DEC.
16,
19 5 7
Rep. Durham Atomic power program not adequate' to atomic equipment makers and private and public power companies that there will be a stable, steady amount of government money available to help atomic power development. If AEC agrees to the proposal, the first step, Rep. Durham says, would be for AEC staff to prepare a draft of proposed policy objectives and level of support of the civilian atomic power program, domestic and international. The joint committee would then review AEC's draft proposal. Rep. Durham hopes to get something started on this before Congress reconvenes. As Rep. Durham sees it, these are some factors that must be taken into account in developing program objectives: • U. S. world atomic leadership may impose obligations on our economy which we would not normally undertake. • There may be great need for U. S. help through such agencies as Euratom and the International Atomic Energy Agency. • Long term domestic need to develop economic atomic power to supplement conventional fuels.
• AEC Takes a Look. So far, A E C has no comment on Rep. Durham's proposals. But for some time AEC has been taking a quiet look at t h e atomic power program, exploring possible changes that might be made. Commissioner Strauss g a v e some clues to AEC thinking when h e spoke at a reactor dedication last month. Said Strauss, "The time has now come to carry another step forward the productive partnership of Government and industry." H e indicated that it might be desirable to expand government aid to industry in the interest of carrying forward this new step. But, said Strauss, expanded assistance should not stop with domestic atomic povver plants. It should also include research and development assistance to American manufacturers in connection with plants they design and build in foreign countries. AEC has just ended a series of closed-door meetings with leaders of the atomic industry. Many of the same people attended that were at the joint committee's meetings. Purpose of the meetings was the same—to get industry views on the atomic power program. With both AEC and the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy taking a close look at the program, chances are that the atomic power program will have a different look next year. All signs point to a boost in government spending for atomic power development, perhaps a "crash" program for power reactors.
Brussels Fair Plans Cut Economy drive axes science exhibit budget, forces sharp cut in quality and quantity of displays OOVIET
SCIENCE DISPLAYS
might
Ollt-
shine U. S. efforts at the 1958 Brussels Universal and International Exhibition (C&EN, Sept. 2, page 1 2 0 ) . The reason—money, or more particularly, the lack of it. Failure of a last ditch effort to squeeze more Brussels Fair money out of Congress means a big cutback in the U. S. science display. First dent in U. S. Brussels Fair plans came when an economy minded Congress cut the original over-all $15 million budget to $11.8 million. Provision for Belgian taxes raised this to $12,345,000. (Russia has earmarked over $50 million for the Brussels Fair.) This was a body blow to the science display
plans, since the budget for science dropped from $840,000 to $500,000. National Science Foundation, in charge of building and operating the science displays, points out that the cut leaves less than $300,000 for actual building of exhibits—administration and operating costs are fixed so any budget cuts come out of exhibit funds. The State Department, putting u p the money for U. S. participation a t Brussels, started rescue attempts in Congress. The outlook brightened when the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill adding $2.89 million to the $12.3 million already voted. This bill, however, failed to pass. • impact-. Total U. S. science exhibits have been cut from 76 to 5 5 . Here's what the U. S. h a s left: • Atom class—U. S. plans call for 1 1 % of the total displays in this class. •Molecule class—14% of the exhibits. • Crystal class—24% of the total. • Living cell class—31% of the total. But the cutback isn't in numbers alone. Quality, too, has been downgraded. "Mediocre" best describes the U. S. science exhibit, savs an NSF spokesman. Even if more money were suddenly available, it's probably too late to put it to good use. Any change in plans now would seriously dislocate the tight schedule. Shipment of exhibits to Brussels is due to start Dec. 20. A bright spot in the picture is the helping hand U. S. industry is extending. Some companies are contributing parts and materials for exhibits, or even whole exhibits. The top scientists of many firms are taking time to build exhibits. Industry's contribution may run over $1 million.
FDA Reaffirms Standi Still hanging fire before Congress is the problem of how to control chemical additives in food (C&EN, July 29, page 2 2 ) . A major point of difference between industry and the Food and D r u g Administration is FDA's insistence that an additive must serve some useful purpose before it can be approved. Speaking to a group of chemical industry representatives in Washington, D. C , FDA's W. B. Rankin made it plain that there has been no change in F D A policy on this point.
D o w a Mining's Kosaka hydro-metallurgical plant w h e r e Dorrco FluoSoIids System roasts 8 3 metric tons of complex copper-zinc concentrates per d a y . O n e of t w o 2 0 ft. dia. FluoSoIids Reactors roasting 2 3 5 metric tons per d a y o f crushed pyrrhotite ore at D o w a ' s O k a y a m a Plant.
Fluidization — k e y to m a x i m u m u t i l i z a t i o n in J a p a n Processing c o p p e r b e a r i n g p y r r h o t i t e ore, t h e D o w a M i n i n g C o m p a n y a t t h e O k a y a m a , J a p a n p l a n t is producing . . . a n d all from t h e s a m e r a w m a t e r i a l . , . sintered iron ore for b l a s t furnace use, c e m e n t copper a n d s u l p h u r i c acid. Of m a j o r i m p o r t a n c e in t h i s u n i q u e installation is t h e D o r r c o FluoSoIids S y s t e m . Utilizing t h e p r o v e n principles of fluidization, t h e crushed r a w ore is r o a s t e d u n d e r controlled conditions i n t h e S y s t e m . . . providing S O 2 gas for c o n t a c t acid m a n u f a c t u r e . . . R o a s t e r calcine is acid leached for copper recovery a n d leach residue is sintered a s b l a s t furnace feed. Dorr-Oliver in conjunction w i t h our associates in J a p a n , S a n k i E n gineering Co. L t d . of T o k y o , h a v e collaborated w i t h D o w a E n g i n e e r s before. A t D o w a ' s h y d r o - m e t a l l u r g i c a l p l a n t in K o s a k a , J a p a n , t h e D o r r c o FluoSoIids S y s t e m is a p r i m e factor in the world's first successful roasting of copper a n d zinc with electro winning of b o t h metals. F o r detailed information on D - O e q u i p m e n t and services involving t h e s e p a r a t i o n of finely divided solids in suspension or fluid t e c h n i q u e s , d r o p a line t o Dorr-Oliver I n c . , S t a m f o r d , C o n n e c t i c u t . FluoSoIids is a T r a d e m a r k o f Dorr-Oliver Inc. Reg. U . S. Pat. O f f .
New Text P
WORLD-;WlDM
O
R
A
T
E
RESEARCH 12 • ' E N G * N E E R \ N G f f & e | E Q U I P M E N T O
N
N
DEC.
E C
16,
195 7 C & E N
37
GOVERNMENT
St a lev's
Staley's Refined
LECITHIN (POWDERED or GRANULAR) A Refined Natural S o u r c e of Vegetable Phospholipids a n d Vitamins for P h a r m a c e u t i c a l and Nutritional Us
Staley's, t h e pioneer soybean processor, offers N a t u r a l Lecithin as a nutritional adjunct or s u p p l e m e n t . T h i s highly r e fined Lecithin is a concentrate (95+%) of the naturally occurring vegetable phospholipids or p h o s p h a t i d e s ( L e c i t h i n ) , C e p h a l i n a n d Lipositol) a n d vitamins in powdered or granular form. Indicated uses are in Pharmaceutical and Dietary foods. Staley's Refined Lecithin ( p o w d e r e d or g r a n u l a r ) , o b tained by a n advanced refining process, is uniform and free of u n d e s i r a b l e or inedible fractions. For specific application data, call your Stalev Representative a t the office nearest you. Or write for descriptive literature. * M o l e c u l a r structure of Lipositol has b e e n indicated but unconfirmed. M a t e r i a l does contain: Fatty Acid, Glycerol, I n o s i t o l , G a l a t o s e , Ethanolamine a n d Phosphoric Acid Radicals. F or i nf or m qti o h a bo ut .of h er Std ley Products: Lecpthin, Leucine, Phytic , Ac id, In b sitb I, Tyro si ne,MSG,HVP, tures, mentation Nutrients, write:
A . E. Staley Mfg. Co., Decatur, HI. 38
C&EN
DEC.
16,
1957
Under present law, any added chemical adulterates food unless it is required in production or cannot be avoided in good manufacturing practice. FDA would a m e n d the law to permit safe amounts of additives if manufacturers can show they serve a useful purpose. This recommendation, Rankin says, is in line with the conclusions of responsible scientific groups both here and abroad. But, says Rankin, some of the reactions to this recommendation are surprising. Some consumers and enforcement officials charge F D A is preparing to "sell the consumer down the river," or has capitulated to big business. On the other h a n d , some responsible members of t h e chemical and food industries charge F D A with making a grab for unwarranted power. They say F D A authority to consider the functional value of an additive is foreign to t h e accepted principles of free enterprise. Both groups, says Rankin, have overlooked some important considerations. Those who would keep the old rule of necessity forget that old laws must b e changed to keep abreast of modern technology. On the other hand, t h e functional value proposal is less restrictive to industry than the present law. Today, industry doesn't decide whether an additive is necessary; F D A does. And, Rankin adds, "I doubt that the public is ready to abandon this check if t h e alternative is to give industry the complete decision as to whether an additive is useful." On the con-
Potomac Postscript • Science moves closer to the President as an executive order transfers t h e Science Advisory Committee from t h e Office of Defense Mobilization to the W h i t e House. Purpose of the move, according to White House spokesmen, is to set u p a more direct relationship between the committee, the President, a n d his new science adviser, James R. Killian, Jr., who is also a member of t h e committee. In making t h e switch, five new members w e r e appointed to the committee, bringing total membership to 2 2 . Function of the committee is to work on problems of national policy involving science and technology.
trary, he says, F D A mail shows that if t h e consumer has to make a choice between these extremes, he will favor keeping the rule of necessity. As for other points in the proposed food additive legislation, Rankin says there is no change in the FDA position. Among other things, FDA still wants advance testing by the manufacturer of the potential hazards of a new additive, prior approval by the Government before a n e w additive is used. Rep. John B. Williams (D.-Miss.), chairman of the Committee on Health a n d Science, has said he will reopen hearings on additive legislation when Congress comes back in January. As it stands today, industry and F D A appear to b e no closer to agreement than they were when hearings adjourned last summer.
Soviet Study Criticized Publication of H E W ' s Office of Education study on education in the U . S. S. R. (C&EN, Nov. 2 5 , p a g e 76) drew a blast from Sen. J. W . Fulbright (D.-Ark.). H e charges that t h e Office of Education has "failed to give Soviet education the attention the subject so urgently demands." And, says Sen. Fulbright, the department is not making a continuing study of Soviet education despite a specific Defense Department request to do this. The study, released last month, was completed about 14 months ago, Sen. Fulbright says. From t h e Office of Education, Sen. Fulbright wants answers t o these questions: • Is the Office of Education making a continuing study of Russian education? • Is there a qualified student of Russian education on the staff? • Does the department have the personnel a n d resources to evaluate and disseminate new information on Russian education as it becomes available? In addition, Sen. Fulbright wants to know whether the department maintains a liaison organization to pass on quickly to other government agencies information on new developments in Russian education and an evaluation of their significance. Sen. Fulbright says h e wants to make sure we do n o t again underestimate the Russian educational system. So far, officials of the Office of Education have made no comment.
